Second Button
by The Lonely Serenade
Summary: This is his last year. This is his last chance. And what Hyuuga Natsume wants? Sakura Mikan. "I'm going to make you fall for me." —NaMi. High School AU.
1. I say

**Second Button**

_Written by The Lonely Serenade_

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Disclaimer: I _don't_ own Gakuen Alice.

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Sakura Mikan is bored.

Staring out of the window, she looks at the cherry blossom petals slowly drifting away in envy because she is currently stuck in the classroom and has to force her eyes to stay open while listening to Jinno-sensei preaching about vertex and symmetry of axis and drawing a quadratic graph.

She loves spring, really, but the beautiful scene outside proves to be an utmost distraction. Especially if the only scene you're entitled to is your scary Math teacher's aging face. And while it is lucky that she gets to sit near the window, from time to time she could feel the wind caressing her face through the gaps between the windows (—whoever it is that is on duty must have forgotten to close them properly). So all she could think about now is how she would give anything to be able to lay her head on the table. Funny thing is, her brain seems to understand her so well that when she looks at her Math textbook, all she sees is a very fluffy pillow that practically begs her head to rest on it.

Curses.

This is why she shouldn't stay late until three in the morning today. But Koko introduces her to this really awesome game called _Flappy Bird_, and while the game itself isn't that amazing or require your brain to think strategically like you have to when playing _Crystal Defenders_, she refuses to acknowledge the fact that her high score is only two.

Freaking t-w-o.

When Koko finds out about that, he practically rolls on the floor laughing his you-know-what off.

But he better shoves his fist into his big mouth today because since dinner yesterday she had retried so many times, polished her skills to perfection, and finally gotten forty-two. Which is a major improvement from her first try. That's right, Sakura Mikan is now the master of _Flappy Bird_.

Or not. But she likes to think that she is.

"And you have to remember, if the coefficient, or _a_, is negative, the parabola should be drawn upside down like a frowning face," Jinno-sensei clarifies.

Actually, the only frowning face that she's interested in drawing right now is his.

"Which is the opposite of what were to happen if the coefficient is positive, because then the parabola would be graphed like a smile."

Yeah, yeah, and she hopes she could graduate high school without having to pass Math. But then hell would freeze over and pigs would grow a pair of wings because that will never, ever happen.

"So, class, any questions?"

Mikan directs her gaze to the whole classroom and snickers inwardly when she sees that most of her classmates are either too busy pinching themselves to stay awake or bow their heads down staring at their notebooks. Which literally means that they are actually sleeping. She has to applaud them for their magnificent act. They _are_ technically sleeping _while_ writing.

And Jinno-sensei assumes that they're furiously taking notes, where in truth, it is just their hands moving. Their minds are not to be found in the land of the living.

She is starting to pity him for getting tricked—

"Well, if there is none, homework from page fifty-five to sixty-eight. Do all the reviews, drills, and end of chapter practice questions."

—or not.

Evil Jin-jin.

The bell finally rings and most heads in the room suddenly jerk up, the blaring noise serves as their wake-up call. Iinchou stands up first and clears his throat, "Stand up."

She has to force herself from stretching and groaning in pleasure when she gets to stand. Her muscles are really stiff from sitting down for an hour. She takes a glance at the clock on the back of the classroom wall, and sees Koko's friend Kitsuneme still sitting on his chair, arms propped on his desk. She wonders how he could sleep through all the noise.

Alice Koukou _is_ famous for its loud bells. There was this one time during her first year when she swore she nearly got a heart attack from listening to it.

But back to the topic, she decides to be a good friend and wakes him up, "Psst. Kitsu! Wake up!"

Of course, if he had slept through the bell, it is a slim chance that he would be awake from her whisper.

So Mikan shrugs and does the only thing that she could think of that would wake him up.

She kicks him.

"Oww! Holy Shi—"

"What was that?"

Kitsuneme blinks his eyes open and gulps nervously when he catches the stern look that Jinno-sensei gives him—truly a sight to behold after you've just been rudely woken up from a beautiful dream of being married to the world's most beautiful woman—and he has to force a grin to hide the pain that is starting to swell on his left foot. "Nothing that should be of your concern, Sensei."

Jinno-sensei looks at him grimly. "Of course. One more time and it's going to be detention, am I right?"

Kitsuneme nods hastily, "Yes, yes, of course."

"Good. Iinchou, please continue."

"Greetings," Yuu commands.

The class salutes, "Thank you very much, Sensei."

Mikan stretches her arms in content soon after she looks at Jinno-sensei's retreating figure and lets out an 'oomph' when she feels an arm tightens around her neck. "What the, Mikan. You could have woken me up more gently!" A voice grumbles on her right ear.

She slaps the person's arm thrice, trashing around to be freed of his iron grip, and can't help but laugh once she is released. The look on her friend's face is just too priceless. "Sorry, Kitsu, but you know just how _easy_ it is to wake you up, don't you?"

"Mikan, the guy sleeps like a log." Sumire suddenly joins in their conversation, smirking at the said guy who happens to be her boyfriend's best friend.

"I'm more surprised that Mikan knows how to be sarcastic," a third voice cuts in.

Mikan whips her head to the source of voices, beaming brightly when her eyes land at her two best friends' figures, and throws herself at them. "Permy! Hotaru! You guys don't know how _booooooored_ I was during Jin-jin's class!"

Sumire rolls her eyes at her childish antics. "How many times do I have to tell you Mikan, my name is not Permy."

"And I would appreciate it if you stop planting yourself to my arm like a leech. I would like to keep my blood circulating, thank you very much." Hotaru intones, her other hand pushing Mikan's face away from her being.

Mikan huffs and folds her hands. "Mou, Hotaru you're so cold! And Permy, how many times do I have to tell you? I call you Permy because your hair looks like it's permed!"

"For God's sake! It's not permed! My hair is _naturally_ curly—"

"Does _anyone _not care about my well being at all?" Kitsuneme cuts in a sulking tone. If he were any younger, people would think he is pouting.

"No." The three of them states in chorus.

"Geez, thank you very much for your concern. It touches my heart that you pay so much attention—"

Sumire smacks him in the head. "Oh stop it, Kitsu. You're so dramatic."

He glares at the green-haired girl. Great, now he has to deal with _two_ throbbing pain. "Like you're one to talk."

"Come on, guys! Stop fighting! It's lunch! It's everyone's favorite time of the day!"

Hotaru snorts. "More like your favorite time of the day."

Mikan laughs sheepishly and scratches the back of her head. "Hehe, you know me so well, don't you Hotaru?"

"Mikan, everyone in this school knows that food is the love of your life." Sumire remarks dryly.

"And what's wrong with that?" Mikan raises her voice defensively and sniffs, "We are humans. We need food to live. And do you know that when we use brain power it takes twenty percent of our energy? I have to eat in order to survive. I am not about to let myself starve just to have stick legs and chopstick-like arms. Heck, this is a tough world. It's all about survival of the fittest, just like what Charles Darwin said—"

"Tell me again how this girl could relate food to the theory of evolution?" Kitsuneme snickers.

"Easy," Hotaru answers, "Her name is Sakura Mikan."

"Or more spefically, _Sakuranus mikanensis_." Sumire continues.

Kitsuneme raises his brows. "Meaning?"

"The only human being that has a brain with the size of a pea."

The fox-eyed boy howls in laughter at the joke and clutches his stomach when he sees the fuming face of his friend. He can't believe there's still anyone these days that would easily turn red when they are angry. "Look at her! She's like a tomato!"

"I do not look like that damned vegetable!" Mikan hisses like a kitty whose fur has just been rubbed in the wrong way.

Sumire cackles. "Mikan, tomato is a fruit. Not a vegetable."

"Hmph! I don't care! If I say it's a vegetable, then it is a vegetable!"

Hotaru shrugs. "What do I say, stubborn as a bull."

"And thick around this area too," Sumire adds while pointing at her head.

"Augh! Why are you guys so mean? That's it! I'm going ahead! I don't want to waste my time any longer here bantering with you devils incarnate. My precious melon breads may run out by the time I could get it to your…uh, your…your _evil_ heads that I am a very mature, level-headed sixteen year old!"

Mikan harrumphed toward the door, stomping her feet to further emphasize her anger, and slides the door of their classroom open harshly.

Hotaru, Sumire, and Kitsuneme all raise their brows from their seats when they see Mikan turning her head to their direction.

"Did she just call our heads evil?"

"Apparently, she did."

"What do you think she's going to do, Hotaru?"

With no hesitation, the violet-eyed girl replies in a flat tone. "She's going to stick her tongue out and says 'I hate you guys!'"

Mikan frowns at her friends who are looking at her as if she is some sort of specimen to be observed, and to her frustration, they don't even look like they care that they've just made fun of her. She growls and sticks her tongue out. "Bleegh! I hate you guys!"

With that, Sakura Mikan disappears from the classroom, leaving two people namely Sumire and Kitsuneme to laugh boisterously while slapping their hands on the desks. "D-did you hear that! It's exactly like what Hotaru said she's going to say!"

Hotaru lets out a thin smile. "She's just so easy to figure out."

* * *

><p>"Mou, stupid Hotaru. Stupid Permy. Stupid Kitsu." Mikan mutters under her breath, her head bows down dejectedly as she walks aimlessly around the back of the school building and kicks the pebbles that go in her way. She takes a bite at the melon bread that she bought with her effort (effort because she had struggled to even get into the front line—she didn't know that her favorite food is that popular!) and instantly feels herself cheered up. That's right. Her father always tells her to smile no matter what happens, and she's going to do just that!<p>

Mikan punches her fist upward and smiles widely at the food in her right hand. "Hmph. Who cares about them. I'll show them who's the mature one later! Right now, I'm content just by having you, melon bread-chan!"

"Meow."

Mikan blinks and whirls her head around. "Huh?"

Is it just her imagination? Did her mind play pranks on her? But she is pretty sure she had heard something suspiciously like—

"Meow."

She gasps and looks at her bread in amazement, eyes twinkling at the notion of it replying to her earlier statement. "Did you just meow-ed in reply, melon bread-chan?"

Silence.

Mikan flushes embarrassedly and shakes her head. "Right, of course not. Geez, Mikan. At this rate, there might be some truth to Hotaru's words after all."

"Meow."

"Uh, I heard it again."

"Meow."

Mikan purses her lips. "Okay, I must be getting sick."

"Meow, meow, meow!"

She takes deep breaths and crouches on the ground, her fingers stuck to her ears to prevent herself from hearing the sound again. "Think, Mikan, think. You can't see the cat but you keep on hearing it. You're not sick," at this she presses her palm against her forehead, "right. And you are most certainly not crazy. So think. The cat is nowhere around you. But, but you know it's there! So believe in yourself and find it to prove that you're not insane!"

Mikan nods to herself and stands up, patting her skirt in the process, her hazel eyes glittering with determination at the challenge she had presented to herself. "Okay, Kitty! I'm going to find you!"

She glances around while running alongside the small stone path but is disappointed to find nothing but thin air and bushes. But then, as if an imaginary exclamation mark has appeared above her head, she makes her way toward the bushes, now very sure that she would find the source of her dilemma there.

But again, just like her very first try, she doesn't see any sign of cats around.

"Why isn't it here?" Mikan ponders to herself in annoyance, feeling bummed that she isn't able to complete her task, "I've searched left and right. Below the ground is impossible, and cats can't fly so it's impossible to see them up unless they're on a tree or something…"

Her eyes widen at her own words. "That's right! The trees!"

She whisks her head upward, and a big grin slowly appears on her face when she sees a small, black cat dangling its paw from one of the branches in the tree. But her happiness of both finding the cat and proving that she's not crazy is suddenly replaced by worry, because oh man, the little kitty looks like it's about to fall down. Even if it could hang on to the branches with its little paws, the branches are so very thin that even the smallest of movement would make them snap. And then the little kitty would fall to the ground.

Flat.

And then it would be dead, and she would have nightmares haunting her forever for being an evil person and not helping little cats in need.

Mikan purses her lips again for the second time that day.

_Decisions, decisions._

"Meow, meow. Meow, meow, meow!"

But what normal human being could ignore that pitiful, heart-wrenching sound? Unless you're a cold-hearted prick with no heart or kindness to speak of that is, but Sakura Mikan is certainly not like that. So sighing loudly, she finishes the last bite of her melon bread and reaches for the hair band inside her skirt's pocket to tie her hair into a ponytail.

She rolls up the sleeves of her school uniform and blows her bangs upward, "Ugh. I hope I could still remember how to climb. When was the last time I did it again? I think it was around six years ago…"

Mikan bites her lips and balls her fists together. "But I have to do this. I don't want to see the little kitty falling off the tree and dying in front of me! Here goes nothing!"

Gathering her courage together, Mikan kicks off her shoes and latches onto the trunk of the tree, placing one foot to the sturdier area of the tree, and the other following behind. She reaches up and winces when she feels her hand grazes the rough bark, but is not about to be deterred by such trivial things. Chanting inside her mind not to look down, she continues her pursuit to save the little kitty and makes her way slowly to the top of the tree. It is a good thing that the branch where the little kitty is located at is not that high, for it would be even harder to save it if that was the case.

"How did you even get there in the first place, koneko-chan? Don't tell me you're secretly a super cat." Mikan giggles.

_Wait, this is not the time to laugh! Focus, Mikan, focus!_ She reminds herself.

She is starting to see the little kitty that is now wriggling dangerously on one of the branches ("—_ohmygod don't do that please, koneko-chan,"_ _She whispers worriedly_) and with a last push, she manages to land on a hard branch—hopefully hard enough to hold her weight—and takes a firm grip on it. Moving slowly like a snake, she thanks Sumire silently for forcing her to take ballet class when they were little because all those stretching and exercises practically make her as elastic as a rubber band.

"Ugh, phiew. Okay, I'm alive…I'm alive…" she mutters incoherently before pausing. "Wait…I'm…I'm still alive! _Whoot!_ How awesome is that!"

The tree starts to shake when Mikan does a little celebration by moving around a little bit too much, and she scolds herself for getting too excited. "Oops. Shouldn't have done that. Now, back to my mission."

Mikan stares at the little kitty located at the edge of the branch, and smiles brightly. "Hey there little kitty, come here."

The black kitty hisses and moves its paws furiously. "Meow, meow!"

"Don't be scared, come here. Everything is going to be okay, I promise." Mikan continues in a soft voice.

"Meow!"

"It's alright. I won't hurt you. Come here, I'll buy you dried fishes later!" She adds convincingly, hoping that the little kitty would listen to her and comes to her side. She honestly doesn't know how long the branch will be able to hold the weight of both the little kitty and herself.

Fortunately, the little kitty doesn't seem to look at her as a threat anymore and begins to creep slowly toward her. The movement as expected causes the branch to sway and she gulps nervously at the prospect of falling off the tree. It's not just going to be the cat that is going to turn into a giant puddle of mess, she will too, if she doesn't hurry and save it before the branch decides to be evil and snaps off.

"Okay, there you go," Mikan coos as she holds the kitten gently in her arms, its soft fur rubbing her chest and small paws against her hands. "There, there. Don't be scared. You're safe now. All we have to do is just to get down from here and—"

Pause.

Right.

She forgot about that.

"…How are we supposed to get down again?"

"Meow, meow, meow!" The cat replies as if saying, _'how could you forget, stupid?'_

Curses.

_Curses._

_Curses!_

"Stupid, stupid, stupid Mikan! How can you not think of ways to go down if you're planning to save the little kitty in the first place? It's not like you're a Wonder Woman that could just whoosh and fly! Ugh!" Mikan moans in despair.

She berates herself inwardly for being so careless and impulsive. She supposes she gets this particular trait from her father; after all, he has the same attribute as her for not thinking before acting. Both father and daughter just go with their instincts. And from time to time it works for them to act impulsively, but she realizes with strong disdain that this specific habit of hers would be the cause of her own death. She could just figure out the headline of the newspaper tomorrow: Tragic death of the sixteen-year-old girl, Sakura Mikan.

Her parents would probably be really devastated.

Her uncle would be sad that he now no longer has any niece to dote on.

Shiki-san would blame himself for being such an incapable godfather.

Her friends would have no one to tease anymore, and then they would finally realize that she is such an awesome friend.

"Hey, that actually sounds pretty good." Mikan mumbles out loud. "But then I would have died and I won't be able to tell them that. So never mind, it doesn't sound that good after all."

Mikan curses her luck. Of all time, why does she have to forget to bring her phone _now_? If her phone were with her, she could have called for help and there would be no headlines on the newspaper tomorrow about a sixteen-year-old girl dead from trying to save a cat.

She casts her eyes down in spite of the fact that she had told herself not to, and swallows painfully at the thought of falling off. She would break a bone or two, at least. Scratch that, judging by her poor luck, she would end up breaking _all _of her bones. Then she would hit her head on the ground, and there would be a lot of blood. Oh wow. She hopes all of her organs would stay intact. Maybe she should write a short will that states her wish of donating her organs to sick people. She has always imagined that she would die peacefully in her sleep. Never has she thought that she would die from trying to save a cat.

"Not that I'm blaming you, koneko-chan," Mikan smiles reassuringly at the kitten who looks at her guiltily—if that is even possible in the first place, "I want to save you out of own free will. I just hope we both won't die. And even if, _if_ okay koneko-chan, even _if_ we were to die… I hope it won't be messy. It will be nasty to have people looking at your eyeballs rolling on the ground or your heart jutting out blood everywhere."

Mikan winces. "Oh wow, that did sound so gory."

She sighs and settles on the branch more comfortably, but the tree shakes along with her movement and she swears under her breath. She doesn't want to give up. She still has a lot of things that she wants to do in this life! She hasn't even experienced what love is like! She still wants to get a job, marry someone she loves, and builds her own family.

"But now, none of that would happen," she sniffs while looking downward, glaring at the ground for being so far below her, "All because I forget to use my brain and think. I hate this!"

She feels like crying, but decides that she doesn't even deserve to cry. And it's not like crying will help. She has to concentrate think of some ways that would get her and the little kitty down safely.

Suddenly, a blur of black passes her line of vision, and as she strains her eyes to see more clearly, she realizes that it is actually a mop of black hair.

Hope starts to swell on her chest, and with a loud voice she shouts, "Hey! Hey there! Can you hear me?"

The black-haired person—no, _boy_, she notices, looks around for her voice and she realizes he is facing the same dilemma that she had when trying to find the little kitty. "Ah, I'm up here! On the tree!"

He whips his head upward and she sees that he is staring at her incredulously. Ah, she couldn't blame him. Right now, even she is starting to think that she _is_ crazy. "Can you help me? I'm stuck!"

She hears him muttering something along the lines of "apparently" and "troublesome". Well, it's not like she purposely wants to trouble him. She hates having to rely on people the most. But her situation right now is urgent with a capital "C", and she as well as the little kitty would die if he decides to shed off all traces of human kindness from his bone and refuses to help them.

"I'm really sorry! I'll treat you to an ice cream after this! I promise!"

She notices that his shoulders are shaking, and she's scared that even he is turning crazy. Man, she can't have him going crazy too! She needs him sane! "Hey, you! Are you okay? Listen, I don't have much time left, can you call someone? Like a firefighter maybe? I need to go down! A.S.A.P!"

His shaking starts to get uncontrollable, and now she really worries for the person's sanity. But after a while, she realizes that he is not shaking because of illness or craziness or anything like that. She realizes that he is actually laughing.

_Laughing_ at her _poor_ state.

_Why you!_ She fumes inwardly. "Hey! If have the time to laugh, surely you have time to help me right?"

The man-boy—she's not sure how old is he—waves his hand and replies, "Sorry, sorry. Something distracted me for a while. I'll catch you, so you can jump off the tree."

Jump off the tree?

_Jump off the tree?_

_**Jump off the tree?**_

"JUMP OFF THE TREE—?"

He asks in a calm voice, "Is something the matter?"

"Something the matter—?" Mikan shrieks, "You! You think I will just willingly jump off to the ground? That's like practically digging my own grave!"

"Well, calling for help will take a longer time. I'm not sure that you won't fall off the tree and turn into dead meat by the time I get back."

Ugh, he has a point. Besides, she thinks she's being pretty bossy and selfish for a person who is asking for help.

"F-fine. But are you sure you can catch me? Just saying! I'm really, really heavy and instead of me it could be you who turns into dead meat—"

He smirks. "Just trust me. I _will_ catch you."

He sounds so confident that she can't think of anything else to say. All she can do now is to trust him and hope he will indeed catch her. "Well koneko-chan, at least we know who to haunt if we died and turned into ghosts, right?"

"Meow!"

Glancing down one last time, she yells, "Okay! I'm—I'm jumping now! Make sure you catch me! You have to! I will haunt you for the rest of your life if you don't!"

He chuckles. "Come here."

_Ba-thump. Ba-thump. Ba-thump. _

Mikan closes her eyes and pushes herself forward, and _ohmygodohmygod_ she's falling and it's so breezy and cold and koneko-chan is trashing wildly against her hold and she thinks she's going to die because she's falling and she's going to haunt this person because she's falling and dying _ohgod_ she's going to die—

"Hm, told you I can catch you."

Mikan blinks her eyes open and all she could hear is the thumping of her heart beating loudly in her ears. What—? "I'm…I'm still alive?"

"You are," he assures.

"Ah," she croaks, her throat suddenly feels dry and tight. She doesn't know why, but she feels so safe and warm in this person's arms. His hold on her is firm and sure, so comforting and protective that she couldn't help but feel weak. Tugging at his shirt, she suddenly sniffles—feeling so tired and sad and happy. Big, fat, tears roll down her cheek and she buries her face to his chest.

"_Nggh_."

"Hey, are you crying?" he asks bewilderedly—and is that panic that she hears in his voice? "You didn't even scream when you jump off the tree. Why are you crying _now_?"

Mikan feels bad for making him uncomfortable, so she forces herself to stop her tears and rubs her eyes, "I-I was too scared to scream. I really thought that I would die."

"Meow, meow!" The kitten licks her tear-stained cheek and nuzzles against her neck, as if stating its gratitude.

The black-haired guy asks. "A cat?"

"Ng. I was trying to help it to get down."

"But when you were up there you forgot how to get back down."

Mikan flushes and nods slowly. "I know it sounds stupid."

"It doesn't sound stupid," he deadpans, "It is stupid."

"Hey—!"

"You could have gotten hurt, or worse. Tell me, am I wrong?"

She bites her lips and bows her head. "No, you're not. I'm sorry."

"You're a girl, aren't you?" Mikan looks up to his question and meets his eyes. It's then that she is rendered speechless. This stranger has the most beautiful pair of crimson eyes that she has ever seen in her whole entire life. Ah, and he looks familiar too. That is to be expected, of course. He does wear their school uniform, so she must have seen him around, but she just can't put her finger as to where. "You should take better care of yourself."

Mikan smiles slightly and nods. "I will. It's just, I don't know how else I can get this little guy off the tree."

He smirks and pokes her forehead. "Just be careful next time."

"Yes!"

"Oh well," he drawls out mischievously, "I did get to see something great. Polka dots, eh? Never peg you as that type. You look more like a strawberry-print kind of girl."

Mikan furrows her brows in confusion. "What?"

He looks at her amusedly. "You don't know what I'm talking about?"

"Uh, nope?"

"Your underwear, baka."

"My under—!" She sputters, "You—you pervert! Is that why you were laughing back then?"

"Is there any other reason?"

"Why you—!" Mikan seethes but the little kitten suddenly flicks its paws and wriggles in her hold. "Ah, koneko-chan, stop struggling! Hey, wait a minute! Koneko-chan, where are you going?"

The black kitten jumps to the ground and nods its head, letting out a last, "Meow," before disappearing into the bushes.

"You do know that black cat is a symbol of bad luck, right?"

Mikan huffs. "Leave me alone."

"I can't do that."

"And why can't you?"

"Because you're too interesting."

Mikan rolls her eyes and pokes his chest. "Listen here, senpai," she starts before blinking in realization, "Ah! That's right! Senpai, what's your name? I know that you're in third year because of your blue tie, but other than that, I have no idea who you are."

The crimson-eyed lad seems surprised at her statement. "You don't know who I am?"

"What? Am I supposed to know who you are? Geez, it's not like you're popular or anything. Stop being so conceited, _Your Majesty_," Mikan mock-salutes.

He smirks. "You don't think I'm handsome?"

"Well, you are handsome."

His eyes widen at her contradicting answer. He did not expect her to say that. "Do you like me then?"

"What? No!" Mikan shakes her head furiously, aghast and horrified as to why he could think that she likes him, "I mean, I do like you. After all, you just saved me. But I don't like-_like_ you."

"Then…?"

"Appearance is not a reason to like someone. It may help to enhance the feeling, but you have to like someone because of who they are. Not because of their outer cover. Besides, I barely know you. It would be weird to suddenly fall in love with you right?" Mikan then pauses. "Hey, did I just say something really wise? I did, didn't I? Oh wow, I'm so mature and awesome—hey, why are you laughing?"

He tightens his hold on her and continues chuckling. "I should have expected this coming from the girl who called herself fat."

Mikan twitches. "I did not say that! I said heavy, _not_ fat!"

"Don't they practically mean the same thing?"

"Well, I don't do practically," she sniffs, "Fat is fat. Heavy is another word. And you do not get to call a girl fat, you hear me?"

"Hmm, and if I don't want to?"

She feels the bulging vein on her temple is going to snap. Why is this guy so infuriating? "Well too bad, you have to!"

He chuckles again and she is suddenly struck with the urge to smack his head. "Stop laughing!"

"I don't want to."

Mikan glares at him and is about to retort before her eyes catch something on his features. She reaches out her hands to grab his face and leans closer to better inspect the small cut grazing his left cheek. She curses herself from not noticing sooner and digs deep into the pocket of her skirt to get a band-aid that she knows she always keeps with herself everywhere. "Man, where is it?"

"What are you doing? Trying to look for a camera so you could capture my face firmly in your mind?"

Mikan snorts and continues to fumble through her pockets. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I'm looking for—oh yes, found it!"

She rips the wrapping open and giggles when she sees the picture on the plaster. "Senpai, do you like zombies?"

He looks at the girl in his arms as if she has grown two heads. "Why are you asking me that?"

"Well, because this band-aid is going to be on your cheek for the rest of the day," She has to smile at the thought of him with a Plants vs. Zombies plaster stuck on his handsome face, "now hold still, I need to stick it to your cut. Ah, but wait, we need to get it disinfected. Hmm, it's too much trouble to go to the nearest fountain."

Mikan tilts her head to think, before she realizes that she could always do _that_.

The black-haired lad sees the brunette nearing in and feels his heart thumps a beat or two. "What are you doing?"

"Hm? I'm just going to disinfect your cut, _duh_. Don't move okay? This may feel uncomfortable."

She leans into him with his face cradled in both of her hands. She sticks her tongue out and licks the cut on his cheek slowly, blowing twice to ease the pain she thinks he's having, before plastering the band-aid over the cut. Skimming over her work proudly, she grins while nodding her head, before he suddenly moves them rapidly and pins her to the nearest tree.

"What—?"

"Don't be so unguarded," he grits out.

Mikan narrows her eyes. "What are you doing? Let me go. You don't have to carry me anymore, I feel fine now."

He snorts. "You think I will let you go that easily?"

She grinds her teeth in annoyance. "Well, I'm sorry, senpai—"

"Natsume."

"What?" she blinks in confusion.

"My name."

"Well then listen here, Natsume-_senpai_," she clarifies, blushing when she realizes just how inappropriate their positions are against each other, "I feel uncomfortable. So please, let me go."

"No."

Mikan breathes. "Senpai."

"I said no."

"Natsume-senpai!"

"It's a punishment for being too thick-headed."

"I am not thick-headed!"

"And you have too many openings."

Mikan rolls her eyes. "No, I don't. Geez, you sounded exactly like my friends when you say that."

Natsume looks at her with this intensity that causes her to gulp unconsciously, "Listen to them, then. They're right."

"I don't want to be told that from a stranger!"

He smirks. "And you just licked this stranger."

Mikan blushes and continues to struggle against his strong grip. "T-that's because I need to clean your cut!"

"Hmm, like I said, you're too unguarded. You're like an easy prey, you know?"

She grits her teeth. "Stop saying that, please. I really need to go. Lunch is almost over and I need to go to class soon—_ohholymotherofbroccoli_! I forgot to do my English homework!"

Natsume raises his brows amusedly. "Holy mother of broccoli?"

Mikan glares at him. "Oh, shush, Natsume-senpai. I'm serious. Please let me go. I have to copy my friends' homework! I can't have Serina-sensei scolding me again! My mother will confiscate all my video games and then Koko will kick my you-know-what in our next battle!"

He wonders if she realizes that she has confessed to him that she hasn't done her homework and is about cheat off of her friends. And she seems to know Kokoroyome from his class. Well, he supposes he could let her go this time.

After all, he could always ask about her from the so-called mind reader.

"Fine, I'll let you go."

"Will you really?" Her eyes shine with hope.

"Yes."

And to prove his answer, he brings her to the ground and releases her. But he isn't just going to let her go like that. The arm that once held her waist travels to her hair and brings some strands to his lips. He watches with male satisfaction as the girl turns into an interesting shade of red and slaps his hand away. "What are you doing you pervert!"

"It's so you could remember me, of course."

Mikan gapes. "You're insufferable."

"Aren't you supposed to go?" He smirks in reply. "Or am I too irresistible that you find yourself changing your mind?"

Mikan huffs and turns away. "In your dreams. I _am _going. See ya'!"

He looks at her retreating back and chuckles again at the way she marches. Her reactions are so interesting that he couldn't help but wanting to tease her again and again.

"The next time we meet again, you better prepare yourself," he whispers.

"Oh, by the way, Natsume-senpai!" Mikan stops in her track and tilts her head back. "I don't really like you, and honestly, I think you're a weird and perverted senpai. But," she beams brightly and waves, "thank you for saving me! It's really nice to meet you!"

Really nice, indeed.

Because the next time Hyuuga Natsume meets this girl with her genuine smile and refreshing personality—

"I'm going to make you mine."

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**A/N:** Yeay! And I'm back with another story! It's going to be a short one, so hopefully I won't get easily bored and will be able to complete it. Besides, semester two just started last week so I'm not that busy…yet. As you all can see, this story is written with an AU setting. I get this sudden inspiration to write after reading a bunch of romance manga and find none that is good about a particular tradition in Japan where guys give out the second button of their uniforms to the girl that they like. It seems that the second button is closest and nearest to your heart and therefore has the compilation of the owner's feelings.

I just can't seem to give up on this fandom, because Natsume and Mikan are just too cute to be forgotten even if the series has ended (*cries).

Anyhow, thank you for reading my story! I hope you enjoy it!

Reviews and constructive criticisms are always welcomed!

Best regards,

_The Lonely Serenade. _


	2. one

**Second Button**

_Written by The Lonely Serenade_

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Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice.

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"OhMy_Gosh_, look, it's Natsume-senpai!"

"Eh, really? Where?"

"Kyaa! He's so cool! I will kill to have him as my future husband!"

"His eyes! His beautiful, _enchanting_ crimson eyes!"

Hyuuga Natsume has to suppress the urge to roll his eyes and scoff out loud at his boisterous (read: annoying, superficial, pest-like) fan girls as he strolls into Class IIIA to look for the infamous mind reader. Even to this day, he still doesn't understand the reason why those girls keep on bothering him to no end; it's not like he is nice to them or anything, heck, he always tries—keyword: tries, because seriously they are just so, freaking annoying—to ignore their presence. And he hates it. He hates the attention. They just like him because of his appearance and they will probably not care if he is actually a cold-hearted bastard that likes to flip skirts and chase around girls with pigtail hairstyle. Not that he is. Just saying.

His eyes dart around the noisy classroom before they land on a boy with straight blonde-hair who is currently reading _How to be a Vet 101_. He almost snorts to himself when he sees the boy flipping through the pages, eyes completely focused and still too preoccupied with the book to even notice Natsume walking to his seat.

The crimson-eyed teen stops directly in front of his best friend's seat and stares at him. He considers pulling a prank on the blonde to gain his attention, but then again, his blonde best friend hasn't done anything bad to him today. Sighing almost exasperatedly, Natsume places his hand on the table and clears his throat.

"Ruka."

The blonde, snapped out of his own peaceful world, immediately jolts and looks around to search for the source of the voice before meeting his best friend's amused crimson eyes. He places a bookmark on his book and closes it, shooting Natsume an apologetic grin as he rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Natsume. What's up?"

Natsume shrugs and puts his hands on his pockets. "Have you seen Koko?"

The blonde raises an eyebrow. "Koko? The last time I saw him he was still in this classroom."

Natsume frowns and is about to reply before Ruka cuts him. "Wait, I think I see him. There. He's behind Sensei's desk, probably picking up the blackboard eraser after it slipped out of his hand. You know how clumsy he is."

True to his word, Natsume sees the mind reader's mop of brown hair wondering about near the desk. He glances at his best friend and smirks. "Thanks, Detective Ruka."

Ruka snorts. "Right. Whatever. Now _shoo_, I still have to read my book."

Rolling his eyes good-naturedly, Natsume walks toward the front of the classroom, intending to immediately talk to the mind reader to get the information that he needs, but it seems fate is simply not on his side today. Why is it that his annoying fan girls always manage to notice him yet his friends don't? Talk about ironic. Even when he's standing right behind the mind reader's currently-squatting figure, the boy just doesn't him to notice him.

Natsume sighs in frustration. "Koko."

The brown-haired boy snaps his head upward and smiles brightly when he realizes who had exactly called his name. "Oh, heya Natsume! What brings your almighty presence to this lowly peasant's humble abode?"

Natsume once again restrains himself from sighing. "First of all, this is that baka Narumi's desk, so technically it is not your place of residence. Secondly, I'm here because I need your help."

Koko doesn't seem to mind Natsume's first remark and is instead completely intrigued by the latter. "Huh? _You_ need _my_ help? You? The bad-ass, almighty, i'm-better-than-you Hyuuga Natsume?"

Natsume's eyebrows twitched in annoyance. "What? Is that wrong?"

Koko sweat-drops when he sees the murderous look on his friend's face. He supposes that if he lets out even the smallest sign of wanting to laugh, his crimson-eyed friend is going punch the lights out of him. "Err, no. Of course not."

Natsume glares.

"Ehehe," Koko laughs weakly, taking a step further from the fuming (silent fuming, mind you, and this is one of the reasons why Natsume is so scary when he's angry, because the guy practically emits killer intent within a fifty-mile radius, all the while maintaining his poker face), "So anyway. What can I help you with?"

This time, Koko has to blink thrice because the murderous aura surrounding Natsume has suddenly vanished into thin air, and for once, dare he say it, Natsume actually looks nervous. _Le gasp!_

"I need…" Natsume pauses, before continuing in a hesitant voice. "I need you to find information about this girl—"

"WHAT? A GIRL?"

Koko doesn't realize that he has just practically shouted his thoughts for the whole class to hear, and judging by Natsume's i'm-going-to-neuter-you-if-you-don't'-fix-this look, he is going to officially turn into Koko Krunch if he can't shift the class' attention far, far away from them. The silence in the classroom is deafening (heck, if a feather drops to the floor all of them can probably hear it) as Koko wracks his brain for a cover-up, but suddenly a brilliant (not really) idea comes across his mind.

"OH! YOU MEAN YOUR DOG IS ACTUALLY A FEMALE ALL THIS TIME? SORRY, SORRY, I SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID GIRL. YOU KNOW HOW SOMETIMES MY BRAIN CAN BE PRETTY SCREWED UP, HEH, HEHEHEHE…"

Natsume can't believe that the class actually buys for Koko's lame excuse, but then again, the students in his class are idiots. Except for Ruka. Sending Koko another death glare, Natsume hisses lowly, "Koko. Watch the volume."

Koko forces a weak laugh. "Sorry, Natsume-kun."

Natsume sighs (how many times has it been now?). "Anyway, the girl."

"Err, yeah? What's her name?"

Natsume pauses. "…I don't know her name."

Koko face-palms internally. This guy is totally hopeless in anything related to love! "I can't tell you anything if I don't know the girl's name, Natsume-kun. It's not like I'm an actual psychic. Besides, this is the girl that you like! How can you _not _know her name?"

Natsume still has the gall to look nonchalant and act like it's nothing. "I was too busy flirting with her. Oh wait, _wooing_ her."

Koko sputters incredulously. "Wooing—_what_? You…you, wait," he pauses, before his eyes widen in realization as he cries out silently, "You don't even deny that you like her!"

Natsume rolls his eyes. "It's not like I love her. I just like her. I find her interesting."

Koko narrows his eyes in suspicion. "Huh. Since when did you manage to differentiate between like and love? Last time I checked, you were still ignorant of all these. Why the sudden change?"

"She was the one who told me," Natsume replies dryly, "and it's not like I'm a robot. I am capable of feeling attraction toward the opposite sex too. It's just that most of the girls who are around me are…well, ballistic."

Koko shudders at the thought of Natsume's rabid fan girls. "Right. _Totally_ ballistic."

"And she told me that you know her," Natsume continues, sending Koko a pointed look. "You know, big brown eyes, long brown hair. She's a gamer, just like you. Apparently, you guys often play with each other."

After Koko's brain finished processing the description that Natsume has just given him about the girl that he likes, the mind reader's jaw drops to the ground and he shrieks (silently) while staring at his friend as if he has been possessed, "You mean Mikan? Sakura Mikan?"

Natsume smirks. "Mikan, huh? She does look like a Mikan."

Koko shakes his head furiously and makes an 'X' sign with both of his hands. "You _can't _like Mikan! That's just wrong, man!"

The crimson-eyed boy frowns. "Why the hell not? I'm free to choose whomever I like."

"But-but," Koko swallows painfully, as if the notion sickens him to the stomach, "Mikan is my _cousin_! Heck, she's like my sister! And you, Natsume, are basically like my non-related brother! Seeing my brother and sister together is just _wrong_! It's _incest_!"

Natsume's eyebrows twitch before he slaps Koko on the head. "Baka. That's just something that your stupid mind made up. In reality, she's still your cousin and I definitely don't remember having an idiotic brother like you. So no, you can't tell us not to be together."

Koko rubs his throbbing head (Natsume has one mean slap, Koko remarks inwardly in pain) and sighs. "Fine. What do you want to know about her?"

Natsume contemplates for a while. "Anything. What do you know about her?"

"Well, it's not like she's a secretive person. That girl is basically like an open-book to those around her," Koko chuckles fondly as the image of his cheerful cousin comes to his mind, "Name is Sakura Mikan. Second-year student. She's sixteen next January. Her birthday is on New Year so we always celebrate it together. Her father is a businessman, and her mother is an elementary school teacher. Oh, and our principal is her uncle (from her father's side). She's an only child, though she has an older adopted brother. He's a famous private lawyer and is currently married to our guidance counselor, Nobara-sensei."

Natsume blinks. "That's it?"

Koko scratches his head. "What else do you want to know about her?"

"Likes and dislikes. Stuff like that."

Koko rubs his chin as if he has suddenly sprouted an imaginary beard. "Hmm, she likes this sickeningly sweet cotton candy called 'Howalon'. She dislikes darkness, ghosts, thunder, and basically anything that screams 'scary'. Of course, she's an avid gamer like me. We play _DOTA_ together. I used to be her coach," At this, Koko has a wide grin carved on his face, seemingly proud of that particular information, "she sucks terribly at _Flappy Bird_ and _2048_. But she's a pro at _Star Craft_. Don't ask me why. And although she's a gamer, she is totally crazy about books, hence why she decided to volunteer at our school library every Wednesday and Friday after school."

Natsume nods. "Academic performance?"

"She's fifth in the whole level. Pretty smart, I must say. But she sucks at Math. That's what makes her marks drop every single time." Koko shakes his head in pity. "Well, she has Jin-Jin for Math so I can't blame her."

When he hears no response whatsoever from Natsume, Koko turns his head to look at his friend who has this suspicious, contemplative (—and smug sense of self-satisfaction that makes him worry for his cousin's safety) look on his face and asks, "So, Natsume-kun. Is that enough?"

Natsume smirks. "More than enough."

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It is because of a time like this that Mikan hates the fact that she's born short.

And not only that, but the step stool that she is sure had been clearly there last Friday when she was cleaning up the library has now miraculously disappeared. Of course. _Of course_ this just has to happen to her. After surviving a near-death experience—she swears she could see her whole life flashing through her mind when she jumped off that blasted tree—most people will think that it's unlikely for her to go through another misfortune. But _nooo_. Fate doesn't seem to like her very much and _just_ has to put her in all uncomfortable situations possible.

Not having a step stool to reach for the book that she forgot to check-in is one.

She can always do the climbing method again, but ever since that incident a week ago, Sakura Mikan has had enough with all things climbing. Besides, she feels bad for the books if she accidentally steps on them or something. They're this school's precious, precious books. And Iinchou will probably scold her endlessly if he finds out what she has done to those books. The thought alone makes her shiver.

…But she needs to check-in that book. The book, titled _The Fault in Our Stars_, is the one that Permy has just finished reading, and considering how much Sumire loathes books, the fact that she manages to finish reading one and squealing over it is a very astonishing feat. Kudos to John Green for that. So she is determined to read that book, no matter what.

"But of course, I just have to put it back on the shelf without checking it in first," Mikan mutters lowly in a sulky tone, "now how am I supposed to borrow it if I haven't input the data to the computer to make sure that yes, Permy a.k.a Shouda Sumire has returned the book to me last week!"

Biting her lips, Mikan considers the idea of giving up. But looking at the blue cover of the book, and imagining of how fun it will be when she reads that book on her bed while slurping hot chocolate makes her brown eyes flared with renewed determination. Oh the heck with dying. She is so going to get that book even if she has to sacrifice her limbs!

So she does what any short person will do.

She jumps.

However, Mikan, being the clumsy person that she is, closes her eyes when she jumps (what kind of person does that anyway?) and bumps her forehead to one of the higher shelves. Eyes opening in shock at the pain—the searing, _excruciating_ paaaaaain—she lets out a whimper, but before she can voice out her thoughts, somebody beats her to it.

"That looked painful."

Pain all forgotten, Mikan whips her head and meets the amused face of one crimson-eyed teen. "N-Natsume-senpai!"

The black-haired boy tilts his head to the side, and a chuckle escapes his lips as he inspects the brunette's soon-to-be-growing red forehead. He traces his fingers over the angry bump and frowns when Mikan winces in pain. "Are you okay? Do you want to go to the infirmary?"

Mikan shakes her head and grins weakly. "I'm okay. It'll probably just form a small bruise."

Natsume continues to frown. "But—"

"I'm fine, senpai, _really_. It's not like I'm going to die because of it."

He still doesn't seem to like the idea of Mikan sporting any kind of injury, but since she's insisting that she's fine (and besides, the deep, deep part of his mind thinks that she looks adorable with a bump on her forehead, not that he's ever telling her this) he decides to let it go. "If you say so."

Mikan smiles brightly. "Yup. Absolutely fine."

Looking at that wide grin on her face, he can't resist the temptation of having to tease her. "Should I kiss it to make it all better?"

As expected, Mikan's face turns beet red in an instant, and he can't help but chuckle when she stomps her feet on the ground like a five-year-old child. "Geez, Natsume-senpai, stop teasing me, will you?"

He raises an eyebrow. "What if I tell you that I'm going to really kiss you?"

Mikan snorts. "If you do that without my permission, I will kick you where the sun doesn't shine."

"Really?"

"Really."

The both of them stare at each other for a while before bursting out laughing (well, smirking on Natsume's case). He doesn't know why, but being with this girl seems to always elevate his mood a lot. Whenever he sees her and her peculiar (read: cute) antics, his mouth will twitch and before he knows it he is already smiling with her. And this frightens him a bit, because technically speaking, he barely knows her (the part where he digs out information about her from Koko doesn't count). But his heart is telling him that it is right, and for once, Natsume decides to trust what his heart is saying.

"Ne, Pigtails, do you want me to help you grab the book?"

Mikan immediately stops laughing and her eyes shine brightly. "What? Really? You'll help me?"

"Sure will, Pigtails."

The brunette clasps her hands in excitement before she suddenly pauses. "Wait. Why is senpai calling me Pigtails?"

Natsume rolls his eyes. "Because of your hair, duh."

Mikan twitches because although that's true her hair is in pigtails, the nickname is so childish. But since the guy in front of her is planning to help her get her precious book, she decides to ignore his name-calling. "Right. Awesome."

"So? Which book?"

She beams and points out her finger to help Natsume identify her book. "The one on shelf 178F. There! It's on the upper right corner! It's called _The Fault in Our Stars_."

Natsume stalks toward the column of books before extending his hand and easily swoops the afore-mentioned book, leaving Mikan blinking and gaping at the fact that he has managed to do the arduous task that she has failed to do minutes before. "Wow, senpai! You're so tall! I wish I could be as tall as you! That will be super awesome!"

Natsume gives her the book. "Well, I am a guy. So of course I have to be taller than you."

Mikan sniffs. "You are such a sexist pig."

He chuckles. "All men are pigs. But I'm not sexist, I'm just stating the truth."

Mikan sighs dramatically. "Yeah, true, true. You men are so uncouth," she then grins and then offers her hand for Natsume to shake, "and although this seems a bit late, but hi! My name is Sakura Mikan! And I thank you, Natsume-senpai, for helping me!"

Natsume smirks. "I know."

Mikan looks confused. "You know?"

Natsume shrugs as he walks away with Mikan trailing behind him. "Yeah."

"Huh, you're such a weird senpai," she mumbles unconsciously, but Natsume picks that up and smiles to himself (she's the first person to call him weird), "oh? Where are you going, senpai?"

Natsume stops and turns his back. "Of course I'm going home, baka. I'm already late."

Mikan frowns. "Huh? You're late? Then why did you come here in the first place?"

"Because I'm here to see the girl that I like."

Mikan blinks. "Huh, so senpai has someone he likes." She then gives him a teasing grin. "Is she pretty?"

Natsume gives her an unreadable look before ruffling her hair and continues walking, this time without Mikan following him. Mikan curses inwardly at her now-messy hair but smiles softly afterward. "Whoever it is that he likes, she must be a wonderful person."

Later that night, after she has just finished cleaning up the dining table and watering her mother's flowers, she flops on her bed and opens her laptop to find one new notification on Facebook.

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**You have a friend request. **

**Hyuuga Natsume**

Confirm Ignore

**.**

Images of Natsume-senpai catching her as she falls, and him helping her grab her book come to her mind. Smiling, she clicks on her choice and proceeds to go to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She has a feeling tomorrow will be another great day.

**.**

**You have a friend request.**

**Hyuuga Natsume**

**Confirm** Ignore

**.**

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**.**

Scratch what she said yesterday about today being a great day. A great day doesn't include blank-pitch clouds that insinuate the upcoming terrible storm, nor does a great day include treacherous, sneaky friends that like to abandon someone because they need to go to a _Goukon_. And she doesn't even have an umbrella with her! How is she supposed to reach home without getting drenched if she doesn't have an umbrella? But then again, considering her luck, even if she does have an umbrella, she will still encounter some kind of problem along the way. Like getting toasted by lightning. Oh God, freaky, abominable lightning—

"Do you need a ride?"

Startled, Mikan almost trips at the pavement if not for the arm that catches her body and circles her waist protectively. Feeling the person's breath on her cheeks, she mutters out a weak "eep" and straightens up immediately, lifting her head to thank the stranger for catching her clumsy self, but her breath gets stuck on her throat as she realizes just who exactly that has saved her from falling (again).

"N-Natsume-senpai!"

Natsume glares at her before ruffling his hair (he looks _worried_…?). "Watch where you're going, baka."

The comment makes Mikan huffs in irritation. "Don't call me baka! It was _you_ who scared me in the first place, you know."

From the corner of her eyes, Mikan sees Natsume skims over her being to look for any sign of injury and sighs in relief (she thinks) when he finds none. "I'm sorry."

Her heart flutters at the thought of him being concerned for her well-being, but she dismisses the thought immediately. After all, they barely know each other. Surely he's just feeling responsible…right? …Right.

"Err, it's okay, Natsume-senpai. Please don't apologize. I'm also at fault for dazing out and not being aware of my surroundings." Shifting her gaze to his motorcycle, her eyes widen in astonishment, "Wow, senpai. You can ride a motorcycle? That's so cool!"

Natsume almost (—almost!) smiles at her awed tone—she honestly sounds like a gullible kid and he can't help but think how endearing she is at the time—and throws one of his helmets at her. "Hop on."

After catching the helmet stumblingly, Mikan tilts her head to the side and gives him an 'i-don't-understand-what-your-intention-is' expression.

He smirks and pats at the spot behind him. "Seeing that it's about to rain heavily soon, and that I have a free time to spare, this senpai of yours is going to take you home. On his motorcycle."

Mikan gasps. "What? Really?"

"Really."

"B-but," she gulps nervously as her eyes dart around his motorcycle, "are you sure it's safe? It looks dangerous."

Natsume raises his eyebrows. "Are you doubting my skills? Besides, I am the one who is taking you home. Me. The person who has saved you from misfortune twice. And you still don't believe me?"

Mikan seems to be convinced by his words and slowly walks toward Natsume's motorcycle, but suddenly Natsume grabs the helmet from her hands and wiggles his index finger, as if beckoning her to come closer.

"What?"

"You don't know how to put on the helmet, do you?"

Mikan flushes and bows her head down. "…Oh, right, no. Sorry."

Natsume snorts and gently places the helmet on her head, adjusting the clasp so that it fits her head perfectly, and pokes at her cheek. "Baka. What are you sorry for? Now hurry, get on before it starts to rain."

Mikan nods and sits behind Natsume with apprehension bubbling inside her stomach. Huh, why is she so nervous? It's probably because this is the first time that she has been on a motorcycle and that the rumble of the engine sounds like a monster's growl. Or maybe because somehow, Natsume-senpai's back looks so broad and safe that she can't help but unconsciously grabs at his uniform.

_Ah, and his back is so warm, I wonder how it feels to hug his back—_

"Come on, Pigtails, grab onto my back tighter. Wouldn't want you falling off my bike, now would you?"

Snapped out of her reverie, Mikan turns a deeper shade of crimson (thank God he can't see her right now!) and mumbles out a weak "yes" before circling her arms around Natsume's body. In an instant, sandalwood and something similar to peppermint wash over her senses. Her previously frantic mind immediately calms down and she inhales more of his scent deeply, engraving it to her very being.

"Oi, baka, did you just sniff me?"

Smiling sneakily, Mikan lies through her teeth, "What? Of course not. You perverted senpai."

After a while of snuggling into his back (it's really comfortable that she swears she could have fallen asleep if not for the occasional rumbling of the thunder) she decides to voice out her appreciation, "Ne, Natsume-senpai."

"What?"

"You see…"

"What?"

"Your back is so warm. I love it."

…Is it just her or did the motorcycle just sway a little bit to the side?

**.**

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**.**

Sakura Mikan is a smart girl.

Really, she is.

But like all human beings, she's not perfect. She's flawed.

So while she understands perfectly how chromosomes divide during Mitosis and Meiosis, she has absolutely no clue as to why tan x has to be sin x over cosine x and that she still has three other trigonometry identities that she has yet to memorize. Why does she have to study Trigonometry anyway? It's not like it's going to be of any help to her in the future. She's not going to further pursue Math in university so why does she have to be entitled to this torture?

She groans out loud and buries her face deep into her Math textbook.

She knows that right now she's not being a very good student and library attendant, but today is Friday and all she wants to do is to snuggle in her bed while reading her book. The last thing she wants to concern herself with is freaking Math. Doing Math on Friday? _Oho_, the two simply don't add up to happiness in an equation because Math has too much negative power. Ha. She just did a pun on Math. Cool.

…Not really. But whatever, her brain is too tired to even be repulsed at her lameness.

If only a kind person can miraculously appear in front of her and help her with this problem. Particularly, someone with black hair and crimson eyes and whose name starts with 'N'. But she shakes her head inwardly and snorts at the ridiculousness of it all—she has by chance encountered Natsume-senpai two days ago and yesterday, but it doesn't mean that she's going to see him again today. Besides, he came to the library on Wednesday to see the girl that he likes, and he probably offered her a ride home yesterday because he saw her walking gloomily and couldn't leave her alone.

Right? What are the chances that she will see him again today?

"What are you doing, Baka?"

Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear.

Or well, _think_ of the devil and the devil shall appear.

But perhaps, deep, deep inside her heart she _is_ expecting to see him again. What she doesn't expect is that by looking at his messy jet-black hair she has this bizarre itch to run her fingers through it, or that the slight wrinkle on his uniform makes her want to straighten it out herself, or even the lines of stress that is palpable on his features makes her want to kis—no, massage! Right, massage it away! But most importantly, she does not expect her heart to pound against her ribcage so furiously that she feels like they're going to burst any moment when he stares at her with his crimson eyes.

_Curses._

What kind of person has crimson eyes anyway?

Is he a vampire or something?

Or maybe she's just sick, because really, she is not the type to mull over someone's eyes. Right. That's the only logical explanation. She must be sick and is out of her mind; that's why poor Natsume-senpai has become the subject of interest of her disoriented mind. Yup. That must be it.

Taking deep breaths and sending him a small smile, Mikan greets Natsume politely. "Hello, Natsume-senpai? How are you?"

Natsume raises an eyebrow.

Curses. Did she sound too formal just now?

"Nothing, Pigtails," Natsume walks behind her seat and leans in closer until she can smell sandalwood tingling her senses all over again, "by the way. Number two is wrong. You use the wrong formula."

Mikan blinks and suddenly, as if a spell that took over her mind has been alleviated, she looks down to her notebook and sees Natsume's index finger lingering on her (accursed) homework question. "Huh. Oh, right. Question two. What about it again?"

Natsume watches her strangely flushed cheeks before closing the distance between their faces (cursescursescurseswhatonearthishedoing?), and Mikan, unsure on how to deal with the situation, shuts her eyes tightly, her heart beating furiously at the thought of what he may do to her. But seconds after, she feels nothing being done to her except for the brush of a cool, calloused palm against her forehead, and she slowly opens her eyes to see Natsume doing the same thing to his forehead.

Her eyes widen in realization. Oh. _Oh._ So he's checking her temperature.

"You don't seem to have a fever," he mutters after a while, "although you are a bit warm. You should wear more clothes and bundle yourself up. You can easily catch a cold if you're not careful."

Mikan nods numbly at his words while cringing in embarrassment internally. _Baka, _baka_ Mikan! What were you thinking!_

"Now that's done and over with, do you still need my help in doing your homework?"

Mikan bites her lips. "Umm, will it trouble you, though? I don't want to take your time any more than I already have."

Natsume pokes at her cheeks (this seems to have become a habit to him) and smiles slightly. "Baka, it's nothing." But then his eyes dim a little bit before he continues, "However, I have two conditions."

The brunette narrows her eyes in suspicion. "What conditions? They're nothing weird, are they?"

Natsume snorts. "No, what do you take me as?"

"Then?" Mikan prompts him to continue.

"I want you to come to the Kendo tournament that I will be participating in next week, that's one." He looks at her expression to search for any sign of discomfort and smiles a little bit when he sees that she's actually excited about it. "And also, I want you to treat me to a Howalon. Or well, my sister, because apparently, she's a really big fan of it."

Mikan practically glows after she finished hearing all of his supposed 'conditions', but she suddenly feels bad for him because truth to be told, these conditions don't seem to be conditions at all. They're actually enjoyable and she has nothing to lose. "Are you sure though, senpai? Of course I am willing to go through these 'conditions'," Mikan makes air quotes with her fingers, "but it seems unfair to you. I am still willing to go to your Kendo tournament and buy your sister a Howalon even if you don't teach me how to do this question."

Natsume's eyes soften a bit at her words. "Then what do you think I should do?"

Mikan shrugs. "I don't know. Save it for another time?"

Natsume chuckles and ruffles her hair (another habit that's starting to grow on him). "Okay, sure thing. Your words, not mine."

And so this is how they spend the next hour and a half: Natsume teaches Mikan on where she did wrong, and the both of them make fun of her for it (yes, the girl amusingly has insulted herself, telling herself that she's an idiot and all that). It turns out she mistook secant x as one over sin x instead of one over cosine x. Back when he used to tutor Koko on Trigonometry, the mind reader always made the same mistake, saying that since both sin and secant start with an 's', he easily mistakes them as inverses of each other. Then again, Koko and the girl who's happily tackling another Math question in front of him _are _cousins, so it makes sense that they are similar even to this aspect.

But surely, the similarity between the brunette and his friend isn't enough reason as to why he's feeling so…comfortable, so happy and contented right now.

Maybe it's the sound of Mikan's pencil scratching against the paper.

Maybe it's the warm, orange light that peers through the library curtains.

Or maybe it's the ticking of the clock in the silent library that leads him to feeling like this.

But as Hyuuga Natsume closes his eyes and surrenders himself to darkness, all he can think of is how he hasn't felt so happy in ages.

**.**

**.**

**.**

When Natsume wakes up, the sky is painted dark blue and it appears that the sun has already gone back to its resting place hours ago.

He can feel the gentle breeze on his face (the library windows aren't closed properly, he remarks still half-awake) and wonders why is it that he doesn't feel cold at all. His question seems to be answered when he shifts his body to sit properly—_Kuso_, sleeping with your head on the table is so not good for your back—and hears the rustle of another cloth sliding down his back. He catches the sweater before it falls to the ground, and as he inspects it closer, he can make out three facts: One. The sweater belongs to a girl. Two. It has a faint scent of fresh lilies and apples on it. Three. Its owner has an initial of S.M.

_Well, that answers the question_, he thinks in amusement. _This sweater probably belongs to that baka._

Speaking of which, Natsume hasn't seen that girl ever since he woke up. He considers the thought of her going home before him (no matter how much he reluctantly admits to himself that's what any sane girl should have done—it's best if she goes home before the sky gets dark) but he still can see her belongings spread out messily on the table. Now the question is: Where is she?

Really, she's such an interesting, rare girl.

He has never met anyone that's as stupid (read: adorable), stubborn, kind-hearted, and innocent as she is. Scratch that, innocent is probably not the right word. He has a feeling she's so much more than what she lets people make her out to be. But she holds this aura of purity, that he is not willing to even consider the idea of her fooling anyone. Perhaps the right word should be genuine. She's always true to herself and is never hesitant to speak what's on her mind. And Natsume likes that. He likes her honesty. She sees him for who he is, not because he is famous or handsome or cool or whatever. She's so unlike all the girls that surround him that he can't help but yearn for her presence.

She's the only person aside from his family and friends (namely Ruka and Koko) that doesn't judge him and for once, lets him breathe. One may think that he likes all the attention that is directed to him, but their admiring glances and empty praises are suffocating him. Those admiring glances will immediately turn into glares once he turns his back at them, and those praises do nothing to cover up the envy that is clearly embedded in their tones.

He would like to say that they should have done a better job at acting, but after years and years and nothing's changed, he learns that the best thing to do is to just not care and not bother himself with their stupid charades.

Ruffling his hair to shake out the unpleasant thoughts out of his head, Natsume stands up and walks out of the library to look for the brunette.

"Honestly, where did she go to?" he mutters to himself.

Knowing Mikan, she must be somewhere outside of school because she's too scared to wander around the school building by herself.

"And she's not wearing her sweater." Natsume frowns and hisses as he speeds up his pace in finding her. "She's seriously asking to get sick, that baka."

After scouring the entire first and second floor (just in case the girl has suddenly gained courage) and finding nothing, Natsume decides to go outside and look for her near the schoolyard. However, just as he's passing by columns of lockers near the main entrance, he sees a figure shifting about in front of the vending machine ten meters away.

Narrowing his eyes, Natsume stalks silently toward the figure. _Don't tell me…_

True to his prediction, he sees the figure of one Sakura Mikan, squatting on her feet as she takes out two cans of drinks out of the vending machine. Panting slightly when he reaches her, Natsume immediately takes her wrist and pulls her up, the brunette letting out a shocked gasp and almost has one of her drinks slipping out of her hold. Her brown eyes finally registers the person standing in front of her and her tense posture immediately relaxes. She probably doesn't think she's going to get an earful for disappearing on him all of a sudden like that.

"What are you doing?" Natsume bites out tersely.

Mikan seems to be ignorant of his distress and instead, grins widely. "Oh senpai! You're awake! I bought us some drinks. Here, hot ocha for you. And cold cola for me!"

Natsume growls in disapproval. "Cold cola? In this cold day?"

Mikan rolls her eyes and bats her hand as if it's nothing. "Oh geez, senpai. It's going to be summer soon. It's not even _that_ cold. Besides, I like cold drinks. Here, take yours!"

At the brush of a warm can against his cheek, Natsume looks down and sees that Mikan's legs are shaking. Heck, she's _shivering_. And yet she still wants to drink a cold cola? But before he gets to scold her for that, his eyes landed on the 'NOT AVAILABLE' words below the hot drinks section. His eyes shift between the warm ocha pressed to his cheek and the cold cola on the brunette's hand. Understanding enters his eyes and he sighs at her stupidity.

If she thinks she can fool him by acting like she's not cold and that she likes cold drinks, then she's dead wrong. Natsume knows better. Her arm has moved from its original position when she gave the ocha to him, so he can clearly see the writing on the vending machine. It probably runs out of warm drinks after she purchased the ocha, and thus, to not make it look suspicious, she bought a cola so he will not feel bad about drinking it.

Looking at her shivering state but contrasting warm smile makes something inside of him snaps.

He saunters close to her, cornering the poor brunette until her back is against the vending machine, and he can feel her nervousness when she speaks. "N-Natsume-senpai. What—"

"You should take the ocha, baka," he mutters as he pins his right hand beside her head and buries his head on her shoulder, taking in the wonderful scent of fresh lilies and apples, "don't be so _damn_ selfless all the time."

Mikan stutters, not understanding why her senpai is suddenly angry (and why is he snuggling her shoulder, _curses_, this is so not good for her heart!). "W-what. You—did you just curse? You can't do that!"

And he laughs; he laughs as his shoulders shake, because of all things, this girl has just scolded him for cursing. "Sakura Mikan."

She pinches at the arm that cages her and throws him a dirty look. "This is the first time you called my name. There must be something wrong."

"Sakura Mikan," he repeats.

Mikan frowns. "What? If you're planning on being considerate and taking the cola for me, then don't bother. Just saying, I've never caught a cold before in my whole entire life."

"Sakura Mikan."

"Yes?"

"Sakura Mikan."

She twitches. "What?"

"Sakura Mikan."

The girl lets out an aggravated breath. "Listen here, _senpai_—"

"I think I like you."

There's a long moment of silence before Mikan gapes and drops both drinks to the ground, one of the cans hitting Natsume's foot and he pulls away suddenly as he curses at the throbbing pain on his foot. "_Kuso_, that hurt, baka. You didn't have to drop the drinks on me like that."

But Mikan's face is still blank, and her mouth just keeps on getting bigger and bigger that Natsume is sure he can fit his fist inside. "Oi, baka, close your mouth. You're a girl, for God's sake."

The insult seems to bring her back to reality, and to Natsume's utmost pleasure, her face is now flushed deep red, just like the color of his eyes.

"What did you just say, senpai?"

Natsume smirks and he leans in closer until his face is directly beside hers. Tilting his head slightly, he blows on her ear and whispers, "I think I really, _really _like you."

And then he kisses her on the cheek.

To Mikan, it feels as if a snowflake has fell upon her cheek, because the kiss is so chaste and subtle that if not for the coldness that surrounds them, she will think that all of this is a dream.

But it's not, and her senpai—this _crazy_, crimson-eyed, perverted senpai really did just kiss her.

Albeit on the cheek, but still!

When Natsume pulls away and notices the flabbergasted (stupefied, really, but that's what makes it all the more charming) expression on her face, he can't help but tuck a loose strand behind her ear and adds, "Really, really like you."

**.**

**.**

**.**

**A/N:** Yes. I finally finished this chapter. I had a dream about Natsume last night, so this morning I made up my mind to update this story. I truly apologize for the late update; I had thought that second semester won't be as time-consuming as the first, but _holy_ was I so wrong. But since right now it's summer (heck yeah!) I have plenty of time to update my stories. Hopefully.

Thank you for those who reviewed the first chapter: **Guest 1, thatBrittishgurl, PurpleRockShooter, ramsthebossrm , Midnight-angel1022, Vermillion Steps, MitsukaiYuki, AnimeMango, BlackBeautyRose, Cute Tangerine204 (love you, girl!), TheIdealist14, Loadedxxamo, SakuraPetals13, maximumridefan222, Chocolateanimealice, and Guest 2**.

It means a lot to me that you bothered to take the time to read my story. Love you guys lots!

Reviews and constructive criticisms are always welcomed.

Best regards,

_The Lonely Serenade. _

P.S.: Anyone else sucks at 2048? Say 'aye' if you are!


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